By Tom Schreier -
On March 30, 2021, Matt Boldy left Boston College and signed with the Minnesota Wild after St. Cloud State eliminated BC. Minnesota assigned him to the Iowa Wild, where he had 18 points in 14 games. However, despite his production in Des Moines, the Wild didn’t call him up for their playoff series against the Vegas Golden Knights.
Vegas eliminated the Wild in seven games. Boldy had 15 goals in 47 games the following season and has averaged 29 goals and 70 points per 82 games in his career. Minnesota could have used Boldy’s scoring against the Golden Knights in the playoffs. However, they hesitated to use a young player they had just acquired, despite using the 13th overall pick on him two years earlier.
On April 13, 2025, Zeev Buium left Denver University and signed with the Wild after Western Michigan eliminated Denver. Minnesota didn’t play Buium in their season finale, a must-win over the 35-37-8 Anaheim Ducks. If the Wild didn’t trust Boldy four years ago, and didn’t trust Buium against Anaheim, will they trust the 12th overall pick last year in their upcoming playoff series against Vegas?
The Golden Knights will eliminate Minnesota again this season, meaning the Wild will have failed to advance past the first round since 2014-15. MoneyPuck gives Minnesota a 32.6% chance of advancing. The sportsbooks also favor the Golden Knights (-235). They know what we all know.
Bill Guerin has built a team that can make the playoffs, but will not win once they get there.
Vegas will limit Kirill Kaprizov’s line, forcing Boldy and Marco Rossi to drive Minnesota’s offense. Boldy and Rossi may be capable of producing goals, but Marcus Johansson’s declining play will hold them back. They’d be better off with Marcus Foligno on their line, but he and Ryan Hartman will take undisciplined penalties throughout the series.
Foligno and Hartman will spend more time in the penalty box or suspended than playing productive hockey. Ultimately, two of Minnesota’s veteran leaders on long-term contracts will hurt the team more than they help. They’re only embodying the team philosophy. The Wild have always prioritized grit over disciplined play and scoring. They prefer declining veterans over skilled young players.
Rossi, 23, had 60 points in 82 games this year. Foligno, 33, has 29 points in 77 games, and Hartman, 30, has 26 in 69. The league also suspended Hartman this season. The Wild have signed Foligno (6-foot-3, 226 lbs.) and Hartman (6-foot-0, 197 lbs.) to long-term deals. They will bridge Rossi and then move him because he’s 5-foot-9, 182 lbs., because Guerin prioritizes size and experience over skill and production.
There are two universal principles to understand with the Wild. History doesn’t repeat itself, but it rhymes, and doing the same thing and expecting a different result is insanity. Minnesota never adapts, and they always lose in the playoffs. That’s not a coincidence.
The Wild haven’t won a playoff series since they hired Guerin in 2019. As much as he’ll insist that’s because he bought Zach Parise and Ryan Suter out, Minnesota’s cap issues are only part of the story. Vegas eliminated the Wild before they bought Parise and Suter out again. The Golden Knights will eliminate them again in Minnesota’s final season of cap hell.
Peter DeBoer was Vegas’ coach when they eliminated the Wild in 2021, and he was the Dallas Stars’ coach when they eliminated Minnesota in 2023. He knows what everybody else knows, including Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy. The Wild will play undisciplined hockey. They’re not skilled enough to compete in the playoffs, and they’ll get frustrated and beat themselves.
The Wild will keep doing the same thing and expect different results. To expect anything different would be insane.
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